Fluorescence in situ hybridization—state of the art

Abstract

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has become a widely used technique for the cytogenetic analysis of cells and genomes. Today, FISH techniques allow DNA and RNA probes to be localized in tissue or cellular preparations with speed, specificity, simplicity and safety. Improvements in probe labelling and detection, fluorescence microscopy and the introduction of digital imaging have all combined to enable FISH to be applied not only to answer questions about genome organization, structure and function but also to play an important diagnostic role in the clinical laboratory.